


By Morning Light

by cinemesto



Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: How Do I Tag, Short, Sneaking Out, Stargazing, let the boys be happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-12-23 22:15:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21088664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinemesto/pseuds/cinemesto
Summary: just the boys being happy and stargazing, for awhile at least :)





	1. Chapter 1

Eddie never worried about sneaking out anymore. 

During the summer, Sonia Kaspbrak went to bed at 10:00pm every night- 10:30 at the latest. She would tell him to go to bed, then she’d stay up for a little while longer, watching television or knitting, maybe finishing off some book or magazine. Eddie would leave his bedroom door open just a crack and anxiously wait for the light in the hallway to go out, signaling that his mother has gone to bed. He would then start getting ready, changing from pajamas to whatever he’d worn that day- sometimes something else, if the clothes had gotten particularly dirty during whatever playing around he’d done though the day. By the time he’d gotten changed, slipped on his watch, and remade his bed, there was a good chance his mother was already fast asleep. At this point, Eddie would creep out into the hallway, eyeing the dark, snoring abyss of his mother’s bedroom, and slip down the stairs toward the front door.

For the first five or six times, he’d taken around three whole minutes trying to unlock, pull open and then shut the door as silently as he could before realizing that his mother snored so loud it would be impossible for her to ever hear it herself. He could probably let it swing closed if he really wanted to, but he wasn’t going to get reckless. Sonia slept like a rock, but if Eddie was reckless and got himself caught… well, he didn’t like to think about that.

Regardless, getting out of the house was a breeze. The only thing to worry about now was getting back in; it wasn’t that hard, either, but the gnawing worry in the back of his head that arose whenever he returned home would plant little thoughts in his head. _What if she woke up during the night and checked on you? What if she’s inside waiting for you, sitting at the table, glaring at the front door? What if she’s already reported you missing? What if, when you get home, there’s a police car sitting in the driveway? What if…?_

But when Eddie stepped outside and the cool night air hit his face, all the anxieties melted away into a kind of free feeling that he’d grown addicted to; that kind of endless possibility coupled with the safe, lonely feeling that came with being awake while the world was asleep. That, and the sheer excitement that came with the whole _‘I’m going to see Richie and we can do whatever we want because nobody else will be around’_ thing. It put a grin on his face the size of Maine itself. When he wheeled his bike out of the driveway and took off down the empty street, Eddie laughed aloud. He was happy.   
  


-  
  


Richie banged his head on the door frame as he was leaving. He’d turned at the last second to make sure his parents’ bedroom door hadn’t swung open by some freak coincidence, mom and dad leaping out into the dark room to catch him in the act, and had smacked the side of his head right against the frame of his own door. The loud crack of his skull against wood made his limbs freeze up in a double-double-take, suddenly certain that the noise would have awoken at least one of them.

After a few seconds of silence, Richie sighed and headed toward the back door, ignoring the pain now pulsing in the side of his head. He crept out the back door with mild caution, having done this hundreds of times before. He wasn’t worried in the least; he snuck out at least twice a week, if only to hang out in the backyard looking for creatures, and even if someone bothered to check on him, he’d masterfully crafted a body double out of carefully placed pillows and stuffed toys. His plan was fool-proof, so long as he made it home by morning light. 

He walked from the back of the house to the front, eyes on the road for Eds. He usually got there around eleven, sometimes ten after, but Richie would wait forever if he had to. The grin that spread across his face when he saw Eddie’s little black bike cutting through the empty street dissolved into nervous giggles, which he stifled with the help of a few loud jokes as Eddie pulled into the front yard. 

“Hey, spaghetti! Didja remember to kiss your mom goodnight for me before you left?”

“Shut up, Tozier.” Eddie dropped his bike into the grass and hopped over to give Richie a shove. “You’re gonna wake up the whole neighborhood.”

Richie grabbed him by the shoulder and gave him a peck on the cheek, heading toward the fence to grab his bike. “Then let’s get the fuck out of here.”

Eddie rolled his eyes and picked up his own bike. They caught each other’s eyes and Eddie gestured up toward the quarry for confirmation, Richie nodding. Without another word, they took off down the street.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> srry this sux ill fix it later

The ride up was mostly quiet, save for the whir of the boys’ bike wheels and the occasional scrape of a turn. There wasn’t a lot of talking; carrying on a conversation while on bike wasn’t easy anyway, and they were already trying to be some degree of quiet. They’d only had to pull over and hide from one passing car, which thank god wasn’t a patrol car- the last thing they needed was a cop asking why two fourteen year old boys were riding their bikes out of town four hours past curfew.

When they reached the quarry, they parked their bikes along the pathway up to the edge. It got too steep to bike all the way up, and to ride it down was a little too risky, even for them. The pathway was too steep and winding to be hurdling down through in the darkness. So they dumped their bikes about a third of the way up and spent the rest of the time walking hand-in-hand.

Richie was the first to say anything as they neared the top of the hill. 

“You can really see the stars tonight. Especially out here.”

Eddie looked up and, sure enough, the sky was brighter and clearer than he’d ever seen it before. Out here, away from Derry’s light pollution, it was like a whole other world. The stars glittered, and the moon was just barely starting to wane. It glowed brightly, a halo of light reflecting through thin, wispy clouds hanging high in the sky. As they reached the top of the hill, the water in the bottom of the quarry came into view. It glittered with the reflection of the stars, the night breeze giving them a sparkly, rippling effect. It was breathtaking, and Eddie found himself sighing, leaning against Richie’s shoulder before they ever reached their spot.

They nested in the grass and dirt near the edge of the cliff, not close enough for Eddie to freak out but not far enough to lose sight of the beautiful view. Richie pulled his hoodie off and laid it out for them to sit on. For a few moments, the two just sat curled up together in silence, enjoying each other’s company and closeness. It was nicer out here; colder, maybe, but worth it. When it came to sleepovers, there was always someone else around, someone to answer to, someone to worry about. Out here, there was no one. 

“Hey, um… Richie,” Eddie said suddenly.

“Mhm,” Richie mumbled, head still buried in the hoodie that lay under them.

Eddie shifted a little, well aware that he was about to kill the vibe. “Do your parents know? About us, I mean? Or... you, at least?"

Richie paused. He brought his hands out from under his head and rested them protectively across his body, eyes going up to the sky. "No, not yet. I haven't told them." 

Eddie looked down at his shoes. "Yeah," he mumbled. "Me neither."

"Do you want to?"

"Honestly? No, not really." Eddie scoffed. "Man, if my mom knew- god, I'd probably get the AIDS lecture every day for the rest of my life." He shook his head and went from being propped up on his elbows back to laying on the ground, head bumping against Richie's.

"Yeah... I mean... I don't really know what my folks would think. I guess my dad would be disappointed. Dunno about my mom- maybe she'd be happy, considering she wanted a girl anyway. At least I could give her the experience of her kid bringing a boyfriend home." He laughed mirthlessly. 

Eddie swatted him, then moved to stare off toward the quarry. "So, um... what about... well- ah, no, nevermind."

Richie sat up. "No, what? What about what?"

Eddie was quiet for a moment. "Well... the guys, I mean... them, and Beverly- are we ever gonna tell them, at least?"

Richie tensed up a little, looking away. "I don't know."

"I mean, hiding around them... it isn't going to get any easier."

Richie frowned. "I know, but... things are okay right now, you know? I don't really want it to change."

"Nothing will change, dude, come on. They aren't those kind of people."

"You don't think it would be weird?"

"No, for god's sake, look at Ben and Beverly."

There was a long pause, and Richie sighed. "I know. I just... like things the way they are."

Eddie curled into Richie, grabbing one of his hands. "We can wait, if you really want to."

Richie closed his eyes, bringing his other hand up and running it through Eddie's hair. "Just for a little while longer," he promised.

"As long as it takes," Eddie whispered. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the fingers in his hair, everything else fading into the dark of the sky.


	3. Chapter 3

Richie opened his eyes to the morning light.

The sky was full of pink clouds, rays of orange and yellow shining in between them. They reflected off the still water of the quarry, creating a perfect mirror. It looked like you could just jump right down into the sky. 

Richie sat up and turned to the sleeping boy beside him; Eddie was sprawled in the grass with one arm laying across his face, the other wrapped around a ball of cloth that could only be Richie’s hoodie- so  _ that’s _ why he was so cold. A smile worked its way onto his face and he slid back down into the dirt, watching Eddie sleep. For once, he looked completely at peace. No worry, no stress, no fear; just peaceful.  _ Happy _ . Richie hoped he’d look this way forever. He smiled again and a thought flickered across his mind for just a second.

_ I could do that. I could make him happy- I want to make him happy for the rest of our lives. _

His cheeks heated up and he clapped his hands to them, realizing something awful. 

_ Morning. It’s morning. FUCK! _

This time the heat went right up his spine and into his ears, liquid panic springing him into action. In an instant he was shaking Eddie awake as gently as he could, fumbling with his glasses and fixing his clothes.

Eddie groggily rose up from the dirt, hand stretching out for Richie. His hand met shoe- that was a start. He blinked blearily until Richie came into focus, his eyes wide and his mouth stretched into a grimace.

“Richie?”

Eddie sat up, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Richie did not look happy. Huh. 

_Wait. Why was he waking up next to…?_

“Oh, shit, oh, FUCK.”

Eddie’s eyes shot wide open as he took in the sky with fear rather than awe. Richie was a little preoccupied with their current situation, but a vague stab of discontent went through him when he saw the look of peace had shattered from Eddie’s face. 

“What time is it?” Eddie said, urgently pawing at his watch, which lay on the ground a few feet away.

“Seven twenty-seven,” Richie said, grabbing it and tossing it to him. He reached down and grabbed Eddie’s hand, pulling him up to stand. Eddie pulled on Richie’s hoodie, the morning air chilling him as he was removed from the warmth of his accidental sleeping-hole. 

“Shit, I'm dead,” Eddie groaned, turning around immediately toward their bikes down the path. “Mom gets up at eight. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fff-”

Richie pulled him back, him being too surprised to fire back with immediate protest.

“Look at the sky, Eds. Just for a second.”

Eddie blinked and looked up, actually noticing the sky for the first time, just how beautiful it really was. He didn’t think he’d ever seen such a color in the sky, at least not in the mornings. For a moment he realized how sad it was, not being able to just enjoy the sunrise with his boyfriend- he hated that right now he was freaking out when he could be giving Richie a kiss and making his cheeks light up the same shade as the clouds were right now. _Fuck it,_ he thought. _Fuck being kids and having secrets and running away from things._

In a moment of impulse, he pulled Richie down by the shoulders and kissed him, arms around his neck like it was the last time. He buried his face in Richie’s shoulder for just a moment, sighing heavily. 

“I love you so much,” he whispered, “but we have to get the fuck out of here.”

-

The ride home was fast and quiet, but easy.

The usual fears in Eddie’s head were screaming as he raced through the street just a few feet ahead of Richie, the latter watching his own hoodie flicker against the wind, hanging loosely off Eddie’s back. They had screwed up, they had fallen asleep. Eddie was already trying to come up with excuses for the inevitable fury awaiting him at home. He settled on “I got up early to wait for the mailman.” It was stupid, and he would get some brand of lecture, he knew, but it was something to quell the horrors in his brain. He steeled himself.

During the summer, Sonia Kaspbrak went to bed at 10:00pm every night, and woke up at 8:00am every morning. It was 7:41 by the time they had reached Richie’s house.

The world was already waking up, so there was no time for their ritualistic and loud departing shouts of “I love you!” 

Usually they’d get home at around 2:00am, often times later. At such times the streets were still empty, residents of Derry asleep and unable to judge them. At these times they’d shout the most carefree goodbyes, the most sincere I-love-yous, knowing that nobody could hurt them here and now. 

But it wasn’t 2:00am, it was 7:41am and Eddie didn’t have time to stop and say goodbye, so he just kept riding. All he offered Richie was a glance back and a brief raise of the hand as he sped down the street.

Richie didn’t mind.

-

Eddie braked hard as he reached his house, eternally grateful that neither his mother nor any police cars awaited him outside. That didn’t guarantee what was inside, but it gave him some hope. He practically threw his bicycle into the yard, silently hopping up to the front door and bracing himself for the worst.

His hand closed around the doorknob and twisted, the door popping open with a click and a creak. It was unlocked, which was a good sign. He slipped inside quietly and saw that the house was still dark, save for the pink light coming in through the windows. As he crept upstairs, the familiar sound of his mother snoring from her room was like horrible music to his ears. She was still asleep, thank god.

Eddie crept down the hall and into his room, pulling off his shoes and crawling right into bed. He’d made it- this time.


End file.
